Tie-plate.



E. H. BELL.

TIE PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3. I915.

Paten ted Oct. 24

IHIIIH lll HIIIIIHIH H HIIHHH inn mu HHI n EDWIN H. BELL, F CHIQAGO, ILLINOIS.

TIE-PL ATE.

i noses;

Application filed July 3, 1915.

1 Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tie-Plates; and 1 do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in tie plates and consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The object of the invention is to produce a practical and efiicient tie plate which shall contain a minimum of metal and thus be of the desired light weight, while at the same time, it shall present the required maximum of strength to resist breaking or buckling under the impact of the rolling load, shall provide the required bearing surface for the base of the rail and shall have a base of its own to rest upon the tie of the requisite area to protect the tie and obviate wear and crushing of the tie surface below theplate.

Heretofore in attaining these ends, in order to reduce the weight of the tie plate without impairing the proper performance of the functions required of a tie plate, it has been customary to make the tie plate of corrugated metal. In the present invention, such corrugation is not necessary and a tie plate having substantially the same bearing area upon the tie and presenting the required bearing surface for the rail and re sistance to breaking or buckling may be made with the use of less metal than an equivalent tie plate of corrugated metal as heretofore manufactured. Thus the improved tie plate eliminates the necessity for corrugation in the metal plate. It will be understood, however, that while my improved tie plate is a distinct departure from the previous method of reducing the weight in tie plates, the addition of corrugation to the other features hereinafter described and claimed would not militate against the advantages and saving in metal due to the essential features of the new tie plate, nor would it depart from the spirit of the invention.

The various advantages of my invention Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (let. 2st, lltllflti.

Serial no. 37,827.

will. appear as I proceed with my specitication. i

In the drawings: Figure l is a perspective view of a tie plate made in accordance with my invention. Fig. is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a view illustrating a longitudinal central section through the tie plate in a plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a view illustrating a transverse section through the same, th s plane of the section being indicated by the lines 4t l of Fig. 2.

Referring now to that embodiment of my invention as illustrated in the draw- 1ngs:-5 indicates the improved tie plate as a whole. Said tie plate is of the usual rectangular design in plan.

7 indicates the base of the tie plate. Said base is made of an area of the requisite dimensions to protect the tie and to transmit to the tie with least wear to the tie the pressure or impact of the load on the rail. As shown. in the drawings, this base member has a flat bottom surface that is directly presented to the tie, but, as will be understood, the particular configuration of the bottom surface, that is to say, whether or not it is provided with the familiar tie engaging ribs or flanges, is not material, provided said surface presents the wellknown required extent of tie engaging area.

8 indicates the crown or top of the tie plate, that is to say, the part of the tie plate which provides the bearing for therail and 9 indicates a rail abutting shoulder rising from the tie plate and extending transversely thereof near one end of said crown 8. The crown 8 is preferably made only of such length on the rail side of the rail engaging shoulder as will provide a full bearing for the base of the rail, as clearly shown in Fig. 8. Said crown is extended on the opposite side of the rail abutting shoulder 9 as indicated at 9, but not to the end of the base 7 on that side of the rail abutting shoulder. Said crown also terminates at its sides short of the lateral edges of the base, as clearly illustrated in the drawings, it being unnecessary to provide either laterally or longitudinally of the tie plate anywhere near as much bearing surface for engagement with the base of the rail as is required in the case of the bearing surface for the tie plate on the tie.

The tie plate throughout the area of the crown is the thickest part of theplate and throughout this part of the plate is made of the necessary thickness to prevent buckling at the rail abutting shoulder. Beyond the crown the tie plate is reduced in thickness,- as shown, by successive steps or layers in the manner of a pyramid, to the thickness at the edges of the base 7. Intermediate the lateral edges of the base 7 and the lateral edges of the crown 8, the tie plate is made thicker, as indicated at 7, there being as. shown, three steps, so to speak, from the top of the base 7 to the top of the crown 8. The tie plate is likewise reduced from the crown 8 to the base 7 at the ends of the tie plate, but in this case only one reduction is made as shown, the tie plate at the ends being of the same thickness as it is at the intermediate step 7.

I claim as my invention 1. A tie plate comprising parts of different thickness, said tie plate having a base of comparatively large area to engage and protect the surface of the" tie and a crown of smaller area to provide a bearing surface for the rail base, said tie plate being of a maximum thickness throughout the area of the "crown and being stepped down from.

the crown toward the base to provide a part of a thickness intermediate the thickness of the plate at the crown and the thickness of the base at the lateral margin of the plate, said plate having a transverse,

rail-abutting shoulder, and the crown of said tie plate being extended beyond the rail-abutting shoulder to provide sufficient thickness of metal to prevent buckling or breaking under the impact of the load.

2. A tie plate made up of a plurality of thicknesses of metal, said tie plate having a crown which provides the bearing surface for the rail base and which is of the maximum thickness required to prevent buckling of the tie plate under the impact of the load, the plate having a tie engaging base which projects laterally and longitudinally beyond said crown and is of a minimum thickness adjacent to the lateral margins of the tie plate and of an intermediate thickness from a line between the lateral margins of said plate and the lateral margins of said crown, said tie plate having a transverse, rail-abutting shoulder and said crown terminating short of the ends of the tie plate but extending beyond the rail-abutting shoulder, and said tie plate being of the said intermediate thickness between the ends of the crown and the ends of the tie plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I ai'lix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, June A. D. 1915.

EDWIN H. BELL. Witnesses T. H. ALFREDS, KARL XV. DALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, I). c." 

